


Mine.

by pastrywrites



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Happy!Jack, happy!Kent, happy!everyone, patater, zimmbits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 17:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11340276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastrywrites/pseuds/pastrywrites
Summary: Kent used to think that it was impossible for him to find love. (For obvious reasons.)Then he met Mashkov.Tater.Alexei.Or, five evolutions in Kent and Alexei's relationship.





	Mine.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write sad things, sorry. :)
> 
> xoxo Pastry

I.

It all started when they ran into each other at an airport, of all places. Kent was heading back to Vegas after spending some time with his family and Mashkov (as Kent knew him then) had a layover on his way back to Providence after spending some time in Russia.

Kent had spotted Mashkov first and was doing his level best to not be noticed. While he was all for confrontation on the ice because _hi adrenaline_ , he’d rather not start anything of any sort off ice.

Little known fact – Kent hated confrontations. Which Kent realizes is ironic, considering the clusterfuck that happened a few years ago.

(But he’s grown up a little, okay?)

Anyway, after Kent spectacularly failed to not be noticed by a rival team’s 6-foot-4 defenseman, they ended up grabbing a bite to eat with each other while waiting for their respective flights.

Which lead to phone numbers being traded.

And a blushing Mashkov admitting that he actually followed Kit’s Instagram because “is fluffy and cute.”  

II.

When Kent realized that he might actually like _like_ Tater, he rightfully freaked the fuck out. They were around five months into their friendship – not that Kent was keeping count.

(He was. He absolutely was.)

There was a game that got a little too rough ended with a concussion and two weeks of recovery.

Two weeks of being sidelined.

Kent knew his team would be fine while he recovered, but he was just frustrated that he had been that careless in the first place. That he hadn’t seen the hit coming.

The first week of recovery was rough. His moods shifted like crazy, requiring some additional check-ins with his therapist than his usual twice-per-week.

The second week, he received a surprise visit.

“Is bye week for Falcs, so I come stay,” was what Kent was greeted with when he opened his door.

“What? Tater?” Kent was wildly confused and not because of the concussion.

“Sorry, should have call?” Tater smiled sheepishly.

“No, it’s - it’s just why would you spend your bye week with me?”

“You hurt, so I’m come to help.”

“Help? Again, what?”

“Da, help. Feel better.” Tater beamed.

And that.

That did things to Kent.

Things that –

Oh.

Oh shit.

Oh _fuck him._

III.

They didn’t get together until the season was over. Almost a year after they ran into each other at the airport.

It was Alexei who made the first move because Kent was too scared and well, he’d been through the whole falling in love with your best friend thing.

Except.

Alexei wasn’t Jack and Kent wasn’t who he was back then.

But Alexei had grown impatient with the dance they had been doing in the last couple of months and had just gone for it. Literally.

They were supposed to hang out in California for a week and then go their separate ways. Alexei to Russia and Kent back to New York.

Every thing was normal and they were having fun being tourists but then Kent realized that Alexei was paying for _everything._

Like, every time the dinner or lunch or breakfast bill came, Alexei just reached over and plopped his credit card down.

If Kent wanted to buy something, Alexei would insist they paid together because “is faster” and then pay for everything. Only to refuse Kent’s repayment.

So finally, during one of these incidents, Kent decided to confront Alexei.

“Alexei, you realize that I make more than you right?” Kent asks, following Alexei to the car after his stuff was paid for, yet again.

“No need to rub in, Kenny. We all know you best hockey player.” Kent couldn’t see his face, but he could hear Alexei’s eyeroll.  

“Excuse you, I’m the greatest” Kent grumbled before he asked, “Why do you keep paying for my stuff?”

Alexei turns around, looks at Kent and then used the smile that does _things_.

“That is how dating works, da?”

Kent opened his mouth. Then he closed it.

Alexei turned back around to the car, opened the trunk and started to put all the things they bought into it.

Kent squints his eyes.

“Are you sneak dating me?” Kent sounded indignant, but his face was smiling.

Alexei finished putting all the stuff in the trunk and turned around, “Of course not, Kenny. You just not pay attention.”

“You absolute – ” Kent was cut off by Alexei kissing him.

“ – asshole.”

“But yours, da?” Alexei grinned.

“Yeah,” Kent smiled softly, “mine.”

IV.

They managed to hide their relationship for about half a year.

Well “hide.”

They weren’t exactly hiding anything, but they didn’t go out of their way to announce anything either.

The first person to find out, was surprisingly, Bittle.

It was around 1AM, Kent was wrapped in a soft green blanket and they were at the closest 24 hour market. They were arguing about which pasta sauce to grab, Kent wanted garlic mushroom and Tater wanted Italian herb.

Alexei was standing behind Kent with one arm around his middle and the other holding the pasta jar.  They were bickering until they head a small “-eep.”

“Itty Bitty!”

“Bittle.”

“Uh…Tater. Kent. Uh…hi?”

“Which pasta sauce do you think is better?” Kent asked.

“What?”

“Kenny think we should get garlic mushroom, but I’m saying Italian herb is better.”

“Uh…well..I don’t want to get between y’all – ” Bitty said hesitantly.

“Please Bitty!”

“Okay, fine…garlic mushroom.”

Kent smiled triumphantly and throws two garlic mushroom pasta jars into their cart.

“Biiitttyyyy, how could you?”

“Sorry, Tater but I have to agree with Parson on this one.” Bitty shrugged.

“Thanks, Bittle.”

“Bitty.”

Kent gave Bitty a questioning look.

“Uhm. My friends call me Bitty or Bits. Whichever.”

“Oh. Uh. Call me Kent then.”

Alexei smiled between the two of them and then starts to push both Kent and the cart towards the snacks.

“Come Kenny, we need to buy more snacks. You eat too much.”

“Excuse me?”

“Bye Itty Bitty!”

“Bye Bits,” Kent threw a wave before focusing Alexei, poking him in the side for emphasis. “What do you mean I eat too much?”

Tater laughs.

“Nothing, love you Kenny.”

“Love you too, but you’re still an asshole.” Kent huffs.

“Yours.”

“Yes, mine.”

V.

They come out to the world a year later, standing in solidarity with Jack and Bits, who had just gotten engaged.

It was Jack who approached Kent on the topic, asking if Kent would be okay with it – considering the rumors about them that still floated around every once in a while.

Kent had asked that Jack let him discuss it with Alexei before deciding anything.

“Of course Kent, I wouldn’t do anything that would compromise you or Tater.”

“Nah, Zimms, I actually think it’s time for us too,” Kent laughs. “Besides, your fiancé deserves more than being a secret.”

Jack smiles. “Yeah. He does.”

Kent watches Jack and smiles as well. They had both come so far and Kent gladly thinks that he wouldn’t change anything that has happened, good or bad.

Alexei doesn’t know it, but Kent has a black box containing a certain ring of a certain finger size hidden away in his apartment (guarded by Kit, of course). He saw it in a window one day and thought how perfect it’d look on Alexei. They hadn’t even talked about the possibility marriage yet, but he bought it anyway.

He was sure that Alexei was it for him.

They both stood at the stairs of the podium, waiting for Jack and Bits to finish answering the reporters’ questions. The Aces’ PR and the Falconers’ PR teams had decided to do a joint conference.

Alexei slides his hand into Kent’s as they began to walk up the stairs.

Kent squeezes Alexei’s hand and looks up at him.

“Yours?”

Alexei smiles softly.

“Da, mine.”


End file.
